How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

Driving and riding in Hua Hin and Thailand, all topics on cars, pickups, bikes, boats, licenses, roads, and motoring in general.
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europtimiste
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Re: How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

Post by europtimiste »

A lot of suggestions, experiences, but how educate those dead brain people ?
Recently you have certainly read about cars refusing to pull over for ambulances would be fined 500 Bhat ? That peanuts. Yesterday I read that a car refused to pull over an ambulance and the patient died.
This is one of first things we learn when being at a driving school.
What about Thailand ? Driving school teachers ! What do they teach ?
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Re: How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

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They teach that if you pay them you will pass the test.

The Thai attitude can be summed up by the translation of the sound that a moving train makes; "It doesn't matter if we get there."
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Re: How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

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NOKYAI wrote: Fri Apr 13, 2018 6:40 pm Only slightly straying.....scooted down to Soi 80 for a couple of hours today and this was the most gentle and respectful Songkran I can remember. I haven’t missed one for around 25 years! Roads on the way into town were quiet and groups of people waved you down if you wanted to participate or left you alone if you just drove past. I didn’t see any aggression or drunkenness just lots of happy people.
Yes agee 100% ... because of the good job the local police are doing to prevent the re-occurrence of last year when thugs beat up innocent tourists in Bintabaht. Good Job to to the cops this year :cheers:
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Re: How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

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Thai roads are the deadliest on the planet: World Atlas
After being shamed for having the worst traffic in the world in February, Thailand wrapped up 2017 by nabbing the title of “Country With The Highest Road Traffic Death Rate” in a report from World Atlas.

According to the report, which ranked 30 countries, Thailand has an average of 36.2 road deaths per 100,000 citizens, which is the highest in the world.

The second and third places fall to Malawi (35), and Liberia (33.7), respectively. African countries fill most of the top-ten slots.

From the findings, World Atlas noted that, while low- and middle-income countries have less than half of the world’s vehicles, they contribute to over 90 percent of the total number of road traffic deaths and that “their poorly maintained road networks and a lack of resources to enforce road safety laws and get medical assistance are major factors.”

Without explaining traffic deaths in each country, the report said that half of the people killed in road accidents are pedestrians, cyclists, or operators of two-wheeled vehicles. It said that in Southeast Asia and the Pacific regions, motorcycle deaths account for as many as 33 percent of all road deaths.

A survey from the WHO earlier this year also named Thailand the most lethal country in which to drive two-wheeled vehicles.

In 2015, the WHO ranked Thai roads as the second deadliest in the world after Libya.

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the ... dents.html
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Re: How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

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Sorry if this story has been mentioned earlier, but...
..I was reading a recent copy of 'Hua Hin Today', & inside was a feature/report that the powers-that-be here are about to ban the sale/registration of new double-decker coaches due to their bad accident record over the last few years..
..Excuse me, but is this not such a typical example of Thainess..?
The bus itself is blamed for the ever increasing fatalities..NOT the driver/numpty in charge, NOT the lack of legal periodic
inspections the vehicles should have had..
..These vehicles seem to operate well enough in other countries world-wide, be here they're deemed 'unsafe'
TiT.. :banghead:
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Re: How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

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:agree:
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Re: How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

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Motorists face hefty fines for unlawful lane changing at 15 Bangkok sites
Bangkok traffic police will on Wednesday start issuing tickets against motorists who illegally change lanes to overtake other vehicles at 15 flyovers and underpasses in the capital.

Pol Col Kitti Ariyanon, deputy commander of the Bangkok traffic police, revealed on Monday that the cameras for recording illegal lane changing at the 15 locations had been installed last June and had been undergoing tests ever since. During the test run, some 200,000 motorists had illegally changed lane to cut in front of other vehicles at those sites, said the officer.

Those committing offences during the test run would not face any punishment but those offending at the 15 locations from Wednesday would be issued tickets and could be fined up to Bt1,000, Kitti added.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/ ... s/30344764


Why only Bangkok?
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Re: How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

Post by Big Boy »

Can somebody explain what unlawful lane changing is please? I got stung 500 Baht for that crime in Bangkok once, and I haven't got a clue what I did wrong. I don't even remember changing lane.
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Re: How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

Post by buksida »

Could be when there is a queue and the pricks steam up the wrong lane and muscle their way in at the end because they're too important to wait like everyone else.

Hefty fines and a good beating would serve them well!
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Re: How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

Post by Nereus »

Thai drivers will ALWAYS drive in the perceived fastest lane, and keep swapping to suit themselves. At flyovers the problem is cutting in from the lane on the left that goes either under or past the flyover, into the lane that crosses the flyover, at the last minute. That means cutting in front of those drivers that are in the correct lane.
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Re: How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

Post by Big Boy »

I agree if that is the crime, but that is definitely not me. I'm British, and enjoy a good queue :twisted:

Maybe that's why they've cocked up the road markings at the Petchkasem/Soi 70 lights so badly. It could be their intention to turn it into a similar money making scheme.
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Re: How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

Post by Nereus »

The ones that really get up my nose are the "me first" twats that pass on the left of a line of cars waiting to either do a U turn, or turn right into another Soi or a shopping centre. There is one particular turn into a BigC shopping centre, where at last the police have put some barriers up to try and stop it. But there are still some that will try it, and I have many times cut them off with the big heavy bull bar on my Land Rover. :cuss:
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Re: How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

Post by hhinner »

It's illegal to overtake on a bridge. The brown crooks in Bangkok used to occasionally set up traps to catch drivers passing on multi lane flyovers, which they claimed were bridges, even if they were a km long. Also, it's illegal to change lanes on a bridge. Flyover = bridge. Been there, done that.
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Re: How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

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buksida wrote: Mon May 07, 2018 10:14 am Motorists face hefty fines for unlawful lane changing at 15 Bangkok sites
Bangkok traffic police will on Wednesday start issuing tickets against motorists who illegally change lanes to overtake other vehicles at 15 flyovers and underpasses in the capital.

Pol Col Kitti Ariyanon, deputy commander of the Bangkok traffic police, revealed on Monday that the cameras for recording illegal lane changing at the 15 locations had been installed last June and had been undergoing tests ever since. During the test run, some 200,000 motorists had illegally changed lane to cut in front of other vehicles at those sites, said the officer.

Those committing offences during the test run would not face any punishment but those offending at the 15 locations from Wednesday would be issued tickets and could be fined up to Bt1,000, Kitti added.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/ ... s/30344764

It will only affect the poorer classes. What's a 1000B to the wealthy.
Why only Bangkok?
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Re: How can Thailand curb its appalling road fatality rate?

Post by HHTel »

Most locals don't understand the lane markings. i.e. solid line, double line etc.

Traffic is often seen crossing a solid line and even overtaking on a double line.

With double lines, you can overtake if the line nearest you is 'dotted'. I was always taught that if the line closest on my right has 'holes' in it then I can cross it to overtake. If the line is solid then it should be treated like a brick wall.

There is usually a section of solid lane separators when approaching a junction or traffic lights. Means nothing to the drivers here.
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